Why Should We Pray in Jesus’ Name?

"But since no man is worthy to come forward in his own name, and appear in the presence of God, our heavenly Father, to relieve us at once from fear and shame, with which all must feel oppressed, has given us his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, to be our Advocate and Mediator, that under his guidance we may approach securely, confiding that with him for our Intercessor nothing which we ask in his name will be denied to us, as there is nothing which the Father can deny to him." -- John Calvin

Have you ever wondered why we pray in Jesus' name? I was thinking about this the other day. After all, there's no prayer recorded in the Bible that ends in his name. And when Jesus teaches his disciples to pray, he doesn't say, Now, when you talk to my dad, make sure you mention my name at the end. This is by design. Jesus' name isn't some magical code that unlocks God's ears or coerces his powers.

According to the Bible, we pray in Jesus' name for two primary reasons.

First, we pray in Jesus' name so that we are heard. You see, we can't talk to God on our own. Our sin has pushed him so far away that he doesn't hear our prayers (see Isaiah 59:2). Our own name has little spiritual cache. Sin makes us"strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world" (Ephesians 2:12). The good news is we don't have to pray in our own name. The Apostle Paul tells us, "in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ" (Ephesians 2:13). Jesus' name––his goodness, truth, and beauty––brings us close to the Father. So, when we pray in his name, we're acknowledging that the only reason we can speak and be heard or draw near and be received is because of Jesus, not because of us.

Now, it's one thing to be heard. It's quite another to expect a response. And that's the other reason why we pray in Jesus' name. We aren't just heard "in Christ," but we can (and should!) have faith that the Father will respond to us because of Christ. That is to say, Jesus isn't just our Mediator, he's our Advocate. At this moment he’s right next to the Father, "interceding for us" (Romans 8:34). What a beautiful picture! As we speak to the Father in prayer through Jesus’ name, Jesus himself prays with us and for us, directly in the Father's ear, advocating the Father to respond to our prayers according to his good pleasure (see John 16:23-24).

When we pray in Jesus’ name, you and I can have great confidence that the Father hears and will respond to our prayers, because "there is nothing which the Father can deny" his beloved Son.